Epyon shows off its new fast charger for EV's

Nissan’s LEAF electric car is being promoted in the Netherlands this week and EV charging system specialist Epyon is taking the opportunity to unveil its new TERRA fast charging station. If the claims are to be believed, its performance is pretty impressive - the TERRA can recharge a LEAF up to 80% within just 30 minutes. Considering that the LEAF can travel up to 160 kilometers on a full charge, and that most people drive less than 100 kilometers in a day, that half-hour recharge might be all that the average driver would ever need.

According to Epyon, a regular 230V outlet takes about eight hours to fully charge an EV. The TERRA, by contrast, is claimed to be able to charge some vehicles in as little as 15 minutes. “While you are out of the car to get a cup of coffee or do some quick shopping, your car could be recharged and always be ready to go,” said Sales and Marketing VP Johan Peeters.

Each TERRA station can simultaneously charge several vehicles at once. The stations are remotely maintained through Epyon’s web-based Power-Routing network, which keeps track of the local power grid, billing, and battery life management. The stations also meet the standards set by CHAdeMO, a group of companies that are trying to establish a standardized system of electric vehicle charging stations.

An experienced freelance writer, videographer and television producer, Ben's interest in all forms of innovation is particularly fanatical when it comes to human-powered transportation, film-making gear, environmentally-friendly technologies and anything that's designed to go underwater. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta, where he spends a lot of time going over the handlebars of his mountain bike, hanging out in off-leash parks, and wishing the Pacific Ocean wasn't so far away. All articles by Ben CoxworthFollow @bencoxworth

Just a quick (rough) calculation here for a reality check. My little stand on scooter has a capacity of about 0.5 KW-Hrs and goes about 10 Kms. A proper car would have to have something like, I don't know... 100 KW-Hrs at least. To charge this in 15 minutes you'd have to put in 400 KW's for 1/4 of an hour. Say you have 4 cars at the "gas station". You need infrastructure that can deliver 1.6 Megawatts! I imagine such a staion would have to have built in storage and charge big batteries at a much more leisurely rate over time then dump it into the cars at high rates. We're talking BIG numbers here whichever way you slice it! Not to say they can't do it though.